Rap is their outlet for anger. However, rap is the most censored form of music on the market today. ... It is a fact of life for musicians, especially rappers, that the original versions of their songs often get cleaned up just so they can be aired on the radio or shown on television. The trend of releasing two versions of songs is not new. ... But why do artists have to make special, "clean" songs just to be heard? ...

• Word Count: 2197
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

Parents and experts argue that rappers and musicians use vulgar, profane, sexually explicit lyrics to target the teenage audience. ... In 1940 NBC banned 147 songs. ... In an attempt to let radio stations know what types of songs were unacceptable sent a list of 22 drug related songs to radio stations. ... Ultimately these songs were banned from radio broadcast. ... Luther Campbell, of the rap group 2 Live Crew released a single titled "Banned in the USA" in response to the labeling. ...

• Word Count: 1537
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Following the Civil War, Southerners are forbidden from publicly singing pro-Confederate songs. ... During this decade, many lyrics of popular songs are forced to be changed. ... Also during this decade, many songs are completely banned from the radio, due to certain themes. ... "While some rap songs might be considered offensive by one group of people, they are reflections of reality to another (qtd. in D"Angelo 2). ... When introducing a song during a performance, he would refer to the hidden message. ...

• Word Count: 1755
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography

People who disagree with a message in a song either reject it and never let it touch their CD player again or create a twisted definition of the song that fits their beliefs, which no one can dispute. ... All children attributed the theme of the song to pride in the USA, the singer's birthplace. ... The professors asked a group of high school students to identify the lyrical themes of their favorite songs. Of the 662 songs the students listed, the students said that only 46 of them were about sex, violence, or Satanism. ... The correlation between rap and gang activity or heavy metal a...

• Word Count: 1767
• Approx Pages: 7